I’ve heard a lot of prayers and novenas and similar things being called ‘‘unfailing’’ like the ‘‘unfailing sacred heart novena, novena to the sacred heart of Jesus, never fails!’’ to say that a certain prayer is unfailing implies that some prayers just fail. Wouldn’t that be kind of offensive to God? Like implying that he fails prayers sometimes? I’d like to believe that no prayers fail, even though I’ve had ones who did, I am at least trying my best to believe that there are no unanswered prayers, just prayers answered with a ‘‘no’’ most of the time and maybe even then I’d like to believe God uses those prayers in some way. When you pray these ‘‘unfailing’’ novenas and whatnot do you always get what you pray for 100% the time ? Is that actually a thing?
I agree - to me, it sounds like a kind of ‘magical thinking’ rather than a proper response to the teaching of Jesus about prayer.
I suppose it may be that the people posting the prayers want to demonstrate their faith because it has worked for them.
Another thing that I find disquieting is when the same Saint is referenced under different titles - e.g. Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima and Our Lady Queen of Peace.
There’s just one of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to me this sounds like using a name to bind the spirit, a bit like the old practice of ‘conjuring’.
But I am a convert, and quite a few Catholic practices still seem a bit odd, even after fifty years!
I am only speculating, but many who had faith that Christ could heal them were “saved/healed by their faith.” It doesn’t mean that Christ was not the one doing the healing. It is “unfailing” not because the Prayer is unfailing, but because God hears the Prayers of the faithful. It doesn’t mean that we will always get what we want.
I have the opposite problem. I go in assuming God won’t answer my Prayer in the way that I hope. Often I Pray for the faith of the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak. Or any of the other others who’s faith is greater than my own.
I don’t just do this with Prayer. I seldom look forward to anything, out of fear of disappointment. And if something wonderful (or miraculous) happens, even better! When I keep the bar low, the disappointment is less when things do not go as I had hoped. Maybe this is a German trait (I don’t know : )
I have never doubted that God couldn’t do something. Still, I Pray for unfailing faith like a child has. A trust like Isaac had for his father. And a hope that the woman who touched just Jesus’ garment had. I desire unfailing faith like this.
I agree that “unfailing” sounds like we will get what we want. Jesus said not to multiply words thinking that it will gain us a hearing. Some of these promotions of prayers specifically tell people to multiply words—for example, the St. Andrew novena, which has been mentioned in the bulletin of my parish, St. Andrew’s: people are told to pray it for 25 days, 15 times a day. If that isn’t multiplication of words, I don’t know what is.
We don’t always get the answers we want when we pray, and it sounds like some people are trying to find the perfect formula to obtain something.
The various titles seem to me to reflect different aspects or roles of the people. Jesus has assorted titles in the Bible: Wonder Counselor, Prince of Peace, etc. Different roles I’ve had were reflected in different titles: chairman, chaplain, Dad … I was still me, just acting in different relationships to people. If you wanted a chaplain in the Emergency Room, you wouldn’t call for the chairman. But God isn’t limited in the way I was. I think that His titles help us recognize the assorted interests He has in our lives, but when we ask the Prince of Peace to guide people in wartorn parts of the world, He would still hear and answer if we called on the Wonder Counselor or Man of Sorrows.